1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a thermoplastic resin composition characterized by excellent low-temperature properties. More specifically, the present invention concerns a resin composition which contains polyphenylene ether and polyamide and which exhibits an excellent low-temperature impact resistance.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Since polyphenylene ether exhibits excellent mechanical properties and electrical properties, it is useful as a molding material resin. The oil resistance of said resin, however, is inferior. To alleviate this problem, attempts have been made to mix polyphenylene ether with polyamide., which is characterized by an excellent oil resistance (e.g., Japanese Kokai Patent No. Sho 56[1981]-16525). Since the mutual miscibility between the polyphenylene ether and polyamide is inferior, a molded product derived from the resulting resin composition fails to exhibit properties characteristic of the two resins (e.g., mechanical properties, etc.). To alleviate this problem, attempts have been made to add a compound which contains (a) carbon-carbon double bonds or triple bonds and (b) carboxylic acid groups, acid anhydride groups, acid amido groups, imido groups, carboxylic acid ester groups, or epoxy groups within the molecule to improve the impact resistance while an improved oil resistance is being sustained (see Japanese Kokai Patent No. Sho 56[1981]-26913).
Even if such a miscibility enhancer is added, however, it is impossible to obtain a sufficiently high impact resistance. Only when an impact resistance enhancer is also added, can an excellent impact resistance be obtained.
The resulting composition exhibits a sufficiently high stretching efficiency when a normal-temperature impact resistance test is carried out. When a low-temperature impact resistance test is carried out, however, the stretching efficiency is significantly low. When said composition is used for purposes which require adequate low-temperature properties, therefore, there are still problems which must be solved.
The foremost objective of the present invention is to provide a resin composition which contains polyphenylene ether and polyamide and which exhibits excellent low-temperature properties (especially low-temperature impact resistance).